From a media perspective, if Mark Giordano was going to get injured this season, it was going to be this week. If nothing else, the injury and the uncertainty surrounding his status has shone a bright light on some very real worries people around the hockey community have about the team.

Moreover, it provides a chance to get a real glimpse at what, exactly, Brad Treliving thinks of the team he's inherited from his predecessors. With the uncertainty around Giordano, we're at a fork in the road, balancing a few different perspectives and needs. And the potential for the team to slide back in the standings without the captain raises the spectre of the team attempting to acquire stop-gap measures to fill the void until his return.

The Flames have played twice in New York on this road trip and have scored exactly 1 goal. That is not good. The Islanders beat the Flames 2-1 tonight and handed the Flames their second loss in three games on this exceedingly important road trip,

There have been quite a few heroic efforts from a number of Flames so far this road trip but it is starting to feel like the offensive just stayed home. The Flames were out-matched, out-gunned, and out-classed by a far superior Islanders club tonight and I think we all knew this was a possibility even before the Flames lost their best player and fearless leader.

Tonight's game represents a historic occasion, as the Calgary Flames and the New York Islanders - 1972 expansion buddies - play their last regular season at the historic Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.

Oh, and the team's first game without Mark Giordano since last season, when the team went 5-11-2 during his 18-game absence. The Flames captain will be out of the line-up tonight with what's being termed as an upper-body injury, inciting panic among FlamesNation and its denizens.

Despite all this, there's still a game tonight. The Flames (33-24-4) visit the Islanders (40-20-2), in a meeting between a team trying to make the playoffs and a team trying to win a division title.

The puck drops at 5pm MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan, and it might be the most fascinating game of the entire season for the Calgary Flames.

Whether they lose him short-term or long-term, the mere thought of being without Mark Giordano for any length of time is a terrifying one for the Flames. And it isn't just because he's the team captain. Or because he's their most played player. Or because he's been leading the Flames in scoring for most of the season.

Although all of those definitely play a massive part.

Fact is, losing Giordano would be a blow to just about every team in the league. But he's the Flames' best player, and his loss really stings that much more for them, because beyond him and his defence partner TJ Brodie, the Flames really don't have much going for them. It's a problem that's become increasingly apparent as the season has gone on.

The Flames may very well have the best defensive pairing in the entire league, but after that, the defensive depth is just not there.